The present invention relates generally to hot melt adhesive dispensing nozzle assemblies, and more particularly to a new and improved multi-plate split output hot melt adhesive nozzle assembly wherein in order to create an output or dispensing void within a particular resulting dispensed pattern in accordance with required or desired distribution or application parameters, the output flow from a first adhesive supply module is in effect blocked off while the output flow from a second adjacent adhesive supply module is effectively split into two equally distributed output supplies and conducted to two laterally separated nozzle arrays.
Multi-plate dispensing nozzle assemblies for dispensing, for example, hot melt adhesive fluid streams, are well known in the art and are exemplified by means of U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,180 which issued to Kwok on Apr. 18, 2000, U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,298 which issued to Kwok et al. on May 18, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,540 which issued to Kwok on May 11, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,573 which issued to Kwok et al. on Mar. 16, 1999, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,986 which issued to Bolyard, Jr. et al. on Jan. 26, 1999, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. As can be seen from the noted prior art patent publications, particularly U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,298, dual-component hot melt adhesive fluid streams are able to be dispensed from a plurality of nozzle members or orifices which are fluidically connected to adjacent supply valves which receive the adhesive fluid streams from a common manifold or head. The nozzle members or orifices are uniformly arranged in a lateral or transverse array extending across the lateral or transverse extent of the dispensing dies or nozzle assemblies. Sometimes, however, in lieu of the dispensing nozzle members or orifices being arranged across the lateral or transverse extent of a particular dispensing die or nozzle assembly in a single uniform essentially continuous array, and in order to satisfy or meet particular adhesive deposition pattern requirements or application parameters, it is desired to in effect dispense the adhesive fluid streams in laterally separated streams or sets of streams wherein, in effect, a void is defined between the separated streams or sets of streams.
One conventional manner in which such a void can be provided or defined has been to mount half-nozzle assemblies upon the adjacent supply valves. More particularly, a left-handed half-nozzle assembly is mounted upon, for example, a left supply valve, while a right-handed half-nozzle assembly is mounted upon a right supply valve, whereby the void is then defined, in effect, by means of the blocked or inoperative half-nozzle assembly nozzle members or orifices defined between the active or operative half-nozzle assembly nozzle members or orifices. The operational disadvantage of such a system, however, is that the supply of the adhesive fluid stream to the supply valves from the common manifold or head is provided by means of a constant-output metering gear pump which outputs a predetermined amount of adhesive material which is designed to be dispensed through means of a predetermined number of dispensing nozzle members or orifices.
Accordingly, if the predetermined amount of adhesive material is conveyed to the half-nozzle assemblies so as to be dispensed thereby, then each half-nozzle assembly, now comprising only one half of the normal number of dispensing nozzle members or orifices characteristic of the normal or conventional full dispensing nozzle assembly, would have to, in effect, still dispense the same or normal or predetermined amount of the adhesive material as would normally be dispensed by means of the complete or full nozzle assembly. Considered from a slightly different viewpoint, or in other words, each nozzle member or orifice of each half-nozzle assembly would now be dispensing twice the normal or predetermined amount of adhesive material that would normally be dispensed by each individual nozzle member or orifice of the complete or full nozzle assembly. It is also to be remembered that the adhesive material is conventionally mixed with, for example, heated air in the well-known manner so as to provide the adhesive-air mixture with the proper fluidic properties. Accordingly, in view of the increased volume of adhesive being dispensed by means of each nozzle member or orifice of each half-nozzle assembly, the ratio of adhesive material to the heated air would now then be twice the normal ratio of adhesive to heated air whereby the resulting adhesive fluid stream may not in fact be sufficiently fluid so as to permit the dispensing of the same. Alternatively, if the resulting adhesive fluid stream is in fact sufficiently fluid so as to permit the dispensing of the same, twice the amount of adhesive material would be continuously dispensed and used whereby significant waste and excessive costs would be incurred. In addition, it must also be further appreciated that the volume or amount of adhesive material conveyed or conducted to the individual nozzle members or orifices cannot be simply reduced because, as has been noted, the adhesive material is supplied to the half-nozzle assemblies by means of a constant-output metering gear pump which outputs the aforenoted predetermined amount of adhesive material.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved multi-plate split output hot melt adhesive nozzle assembly which is able to, in effect, split the supplied adhesive material into two laterally separated streams or sets of streams of adhesive material, so as to provide a void therebetween in accordance with required or desired dispensing patterns or application parameters, without altering the volume of the adhesive material being dispensed per unit of time such that, in turn, the ratio of the adhesive material with respect to the heated air fluid streams with which the adhesive material is mixed is not altered whereby the resulting adhesive material filaments or streams are able to be provided with the proper or desired fluidic properties so as to in fact facilitate the deposition or dispensing of the adhesive material.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved multi-plate hot-melt adhesive nozzle assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved multi-plate hot-melt adhesive nozzle assembly which is able to rectify the problems characteristic of the PRIOR ART.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved multi-plate hot-melt adhesive nozzle assembly which is able to in effect block off a first supply valve inlet or module and to split the adhesive material input provided to a second supply valve inlet or module into two substantially equal or balanced laterally separated adhesive material outputs for dispensing by means of two laterally separated sets of nozzle members or orifices such that a void in the dispensing pattern can be achieved as desired or required in connection with pattern or application requirements or parameters.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved multi-plate split-output hot-melt adhesive nozzle assembly which is able to in effect block off a first supply valve inlet or module and to split the adhesive material input provided to a second supply valve inlet or module into two substantially equal or balanced laterally separated adhesive material outputs for dispensing by means of two laterally separated sets of nozzle members or orifices such that a void in the dispensing pattern can be achieved as desired or required in connection with pattern or application requirements or parameters without altering the ratio of the adhesive material with respect to the heated air, with which the adhesive material is normally mixed, whereby the fluidic properties of the resulting adhesive material-heated air mixture remain unchanged with respect to the fluidic properties of conventionally dispensed adhesive material-heated air mixtures so as to permit the resulting adhesive material-heated air mixture to be readily dispensed and in a cost-effective manner such that adhesive material supplies are not wasted.
The foregoing and other objectives are achieved in accordance with the teachings and principles of the present invention through the provision of a new and improved multi-plate split output hot-melt adhesive nozzle or die assembly which is able to be mounted upon an adhesive supply manifold or head such that the nozzle or die assembly is fludically connected to a pair of adjacent adhesive supply conduits or valved inlets. A first plate of the multi-plate nozzle or die assembly effectively blocks off one of the pair of adjacent adhesive supply conduits or valved inlets, while the remaining plates of the multi-plate nozzle or die assembly split the adhesive material supplied from the other one of the pair of adjacent adhesive supply conduits or valved inlets into two adhesive flows and convey, conduct, and equally distribute such split adhesive material flows to a pair of laterally separated sets or arrays of dispensing nozzle members or orifices wherein each separated set or array of dispensing nozzle members or orifices comprises a predetermined number of dispensing nozzle members or orifices.
In this manner, as desired or required in connection with particular adhesive material dispensing patterns or application requirements or parameters, a void is defined between the laterally separated sets or arrays of dispensing nozzle members or orifices, and yet, since the two laterally separated sets or arrays of dispensing nozzle members or orifices together comprise the same predetermined number of dispensing nozzle members or orifices as that of a conventional set or array of non-separated nozzle members or orifices, the two flows of adhesive material dispensed from the two laterally separated sets or arrays of dispensing nozzle members or orifices comprise the same volume of adhesive material as would normally be dispensed from the second unblocked supply conduit or valved inlet. Accordingly, the ratio of adhesive material with respect to the mixed heated air remains the same whereby the fluid properties of the resulting adhesive material-air mixture remain the same such that the adhesive material can in fact be readily dispensed. In addition, the supply of adhesive material is utilized in a cost-efficient manner.